The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Terete \Te*rete"\, a. [L. teres, -etis, rounded off, properly, rubbed off, fr. terere to rub.] Cylindrical and slightly tapering; columnar, as some stems of plants. [1913 Webster]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
terete adj 1: especially of plant parts; cylindrical and tapering